


Ghost Town

by CureIcy



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Ambiguity, Crossover, Gen, Horror, Statement Fic (The Magnus Archives)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25020019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CureIcy/pseuds/CureIcy
Summary: Statement of Midoriya Izuku, regarding a strange encounter the previous day. Statement given third November, 2XXX; recorded direct from subject by the Archivist.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 105
Collections: Clever Crossovers & Fantastic Fusions, The Witch's Woods





	Ghost Town

**Author's Note:**

> Beginning notes: In the style of TMA, warnings can be found at the bottom. Contains spoilers up to early season four of the magnus archives, and minor ones for the school festival arc of my hero academia. Enjoy.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Listen, I appreciate it, but it was just a quirk, and I don’t want to bother you, and the only reason I came is because Todoroki said I should talk to someone and ohhhhh this was a bad idea I should go. I should just go, I’ll find a door--

**[The Archivist]**

Don’t.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Huh?

**[The Archivist]**

Don’t… don’t trust the doors around here. And I assure you, I prefer to judge for myself whether or not statements are insignificant. 

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Oh. Um, all right. Can I ask why…? The doors, I mean.

[The Archivist sighs.]

**[The Archivist]**

You’re better off not knowing. It might not apply here anyways, since she’s all the way back in London. What’s your name?

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Midoriya Izuku. Um, do you need to know my quirk?

**[The Archivist]**

Only if it’s relevant to the incident in question. Here at the Magnus institute, we don’t put much stock in quirks.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Not really. My quirk...stopped working when it happened. I just felt this disconnect, like I was quirkless. Uh, not that I’d know how that feels, it just...I felt empty, if that makes any sense.

**[The Archivist]**

I see. Statement of Midoriya Izuku, regarding a strange encounter the previous day. Statement given third November, 2XXX; recorded direct from subject by the Archivist. Statement begins.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Uh, now?

**[The Archivist]**

Whenever you’re ready.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Okay, um…

[Midoriya clears his throat.]

I guess it started when I was walking home from school. We made the switch to dorms after the training camp incident; you’ve probably heard about it on the news. But, for the most part, things were going well, and they even started letting students go home on weekends without an escort.

I wasn’t in the best mood, since I’d just had a fight with one of my friends. I don’t really like confrontation, and he’s one of the nicest people I know, so it was something of a shock.

**[The Archivist]**

Can I have this friend’s name?

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Oh! Kirishima Eijirou. We were working out together, since we have the same music taste and I wanted to hang out, and he made a comment about pushing myself too hard. I tried to tell him that I needed to work harder in order to catch up to everyone else, and he told me I was already near the top of the class and was going to hurt myself, and...well, at some point I started crying. Kirishima was apologizing profusely, but I didn’t know how to handle the situation, so I left. I muttered something about needing time to myself, and thankfully, he backed off.

Just to clarify, I’m pretty used to being alone. I was bullied a lot as a kid, so this wasn’t anything new to me, but fighting with a friend was an experience I’d only had a few times and always hated. I decided I’d talk to my mom about it, so rather than waiting for tomorrow to head home, I packed a bag and texted her right then. I took a shower since I was still sweaty from my workout, and that’s when things started getting strange. At least, I think.

I mean, it’s funny. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it started, when you can no longer rationalize little things as accidents and come to the conclusion that it’s deliberate malice. I think I’ve always been nervous like that; it’s hard to tell sometimes if you have bad luck, or if it’s just your classmates gaslighting you. But the first weird thing that happened was that the text hadn’t sent. My phone was just giving me these weird error messages every few seconds, and I didn’t understand, so I just shut it off and plugged it in to charge, hoping it would be better later.

I went to the commons to see if I could ask anyone to use their phone, but it was empty, so I left.

**[The Archivist]**

You left?

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Well, I didn’t want to bother anyone. They might be busy.

**[The Archivist]**

Right. [small cough] carry on.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

The train station is usually quiet at that time of night, so I didn’t think much of the fact that not many people were there. And when my train arrived, everyone stepped out, and I didn’t realize until the train was moving that no one else had boarded the car. They had all turned around and walked away, calmly, like that was their intention all along. That’s when I started to suspect something was wrong. As I was considering whether I should break out and stop them if they were under the influence of some quirk, the train entered a tunnel. I apologized and started moving cars, making my way towards the front.

**[The Archivist]**

You mean you apologized to the proper authorities later?

[Midoriya gives a nervous laugh]

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

No, I’ve apologized to empty construction sites out of force of habit. I know you’re not supposed to move between cars, and I’ve never done it before, but I got the hang of it quickly enough. But when I finally got to the front, there was no one driving the train. The controls moved, but the seat was empty. I checked the back cars as well, but there was no one. I checked every station I came to, and searched five more trains. They were all empty. The streets were clear of people, houses abandoned. I felt terrible about walking in, and called out before every door, but no one ever answered.

Somehow, the trains were scarier when they still ran. It implied that this was the only thing left in motion by people who were no longer around to ride the trains. If they were stopped, I would have felt the world was frozen. If they were rusted, I would have felt the world had already died. But they were empty, and the world seemed so vast, and I was alone. Like everyone but me had disappeared.

The worst part was when I came home. My mom wasn’t there...and my room wasn’t there. I mean, the door didn’t exist, and the space it occupied was taken up by the apartment next door. It was half of their kitchen. Not even a room by itself, just the stove, fridge, and sink, and a few cabinets for dishes. It was like I’d never existed.

I ran. Harder and faster than ever, trying to get away from that awful, empty place, and that's when I reached for my quirk to go even faster, but it wasn’t there.

I have a general enhancement type quirk, one that only developed recently, and without it I felt more alone than ever. Kirishima’s words kept echoing in my head, and I remembered how I’d told him I needed some time alone, and cried.

I walked into a convenience store, the fluorescent lights still flickering gently and refrigerated shelves humming, and I took a water bottle and a few energy bars. I left enough money to pay for it under the cash register, since I didn’t want to steal, and took a break. Physically, I felt a little better, but mentally I was still drained and terrified. I headed back out, not sure what I was looking for, but with a vague idea that maybe I could sleep in the public library on one of the couches, since it was getting dark. I didn’t want to go back to the dorms and find my room made into a pair of broom closets or something.

When I finally saw someone, I was so desperate I didn’t think. I just ran. I might have stumbled; it’s a blur, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this person might just be a hallucination or mirage, like when people think they see an oasis in the desert. But as I got closer, their smile just grew wider, and their teeth didn’t look quite right, like if someone tried to draw a human smile long after humans had gone extinct using only blurry reference photos.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. When they spoke, I saw that they had sharp, triangular teeth, like a predator’s, that overlapped slightly. Kirishima has pointy teeth, but these were  _ nothing _ like his, and I stumbled and fell. They took a step forward, and it seemed to echo all around us, like a heartbeat in your ear, the way you can feel it throbbing. It was like that, like every motion they made was at the heart of the world, and I was struck with how vast the world really was. I could take a boat and sail across the earth to the other side, and I still wouldn’t be rid of that person and their awful smile. I can’t remember their height, or gender, or any distinguishing features, only the smile. When I looked away, I felt convinced that they were gone, that I was alone, and then when I looked back, I still felt alone. And I realized the feeling had never left me, and I don’t think that person really had a will. I mean, they moved a bit like a real person, but either they were being controlled by someone else, or just following orders. Like… like one of the Noumu.

I climbed to my feet, ready to fight if I had to, but they just laughed, this awful laugh that echoed around me. Sometimes when it’s quiet, I still hear the laugh. And they stepped forward and said…  _ now live with the pain. _

After that, I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, someone was shaking me awake. It was an older man, and he told me in a gruff voice that the streets after dark weren’t safe for kids. I thanked him, and started running back to school as fast as I could without using my quirk. There were people on the streets again, late night stragglers getting off work and rushing to catch the train, but I avoided the stations. I didn’t think I could bear it. I needed to see a familiar face.

I legitimately don’t know how I got into school grounds. I didn’t check in, and at that point my mind was a blur as I tried over and over to analyze what had just happened to me. I still can’t figure it out. I might have jumped over the gate or something, judging by the scolding I got afterwards. Most everyone had gone to bed by that point, but I found Todoroki having a snack in the commons room.

I… don’t think Todoroki really knows how to hug. Even after we started being friends, I’ve tried to respect his space, since his home life— well, I don’t want to upset him, is all. He’s fallen asleep on me a couple times, and he puts up with Kaminari putting an arm around his shoulders—

**[The Archivist]**

Full names, please.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Right. Um, Todoroki Shouto and Kaminari Denki. Anyways, he’s never been much of one for physical contact, but I remember he didn’t let go the entire time, when I was crying into his shirt and muttering about how glad I was to see him. He just… held me. Until I could breathe again. He asked me if I wanted to talk about it, and normally I’d say no since he has enough to deal with already, but... I guess I wasn’t strong enough. I told him I got lost in a bad part of town and my phone ran out of battery, which I guess was true, but he kept asking me to talk to someone about it. Most of my classmates started seeing a counselor after the Kamino Ward incident, and it’s worked out well for Todoroki, but I didn’t know who would believe me. I checked some forums, found you, and… here I am.

**[The Archivist]**

Have you told anyone else about your encounter?

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Yeah… my teacher wasn’t happy. He kept calling me Problem Child, which is his nickname for me, I guess? But I don’t like it. It always reminds me that I’m a disappointment.

[A long pause. Midoriya makes a small, uncomfortable noise of distress.]

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Uhhh...forget I said that. I never said that. Can you delete things from magnetic tapes?

**[The Archivist]**

Any recordings made by the Magnus institute and associates are for internal use only. However, if you have a problem with your teacher harassing you, please contact the proper authorities.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Oh, no, he’s a good teacher! I mean, I know he hides it, but I think he cares about us deep down. And to be fair, I’ve earned the nickname by doing a lot of reckless things.

**[The Archivist]**

I see.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Um, do you have any more questions? It’s getting dark. I guess I… talked more than I expected. That’s weird.

**[The Archivist]**

I think I have all the information I need, thank you. You may go.

[gentle, retreating footsteps can be heard, then a pause.]

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Is this door, um— is it safe?

**[The Archivist]**

It’s the one you entered through, so it should be all right.

**[Midoriya Izuku]**

Okay. [more shuffling of footsteps as door opens] Thank you very much for listening to me. I feel a bit better now.

[door closes]

**[The Archivist]**

Statement ends.

  
  
  


***

  
  


**[The Archivist]**

Supplemental: Midoriya’s statement seems to be a textbook case of the Lonely, but there’s something that’s bothering me. Namely, the implications of his personality. From his statement, he seems to have low self worth and highly value his friendships, since he didn’t have many of them growing up.

[faint distortion begins]

I...his quirk. I’m not entirely certain, but it felt like a number of voices inside of him. Perhaps the feeling of quirklessness is connected to it somehow? He didn’t appear to be lying, or wishing me a gruesome end, both of which are typical indicators that someone is an avatar for one of the Powers. For all appearances, Midoriya Izuku is a perfectly ordinary high school student, albeit one who feels like a multitude of some sort. I think I can safely conclude that he is unrelated to the powers, but certainly someone to keep an eye on, so to speak.

[distortion ends.]

What intrigues me is the sort of duality. Did the Lonely target him because his quirk is the opposite of it, like the Vast might be at odds with the Buried? Or was it because of his friendless childhood? Do the Powers strike anyone for a reason? Further follow up is needed. I have a few statements I think I should compare this to, but I’ll need to head back to the Magnus Institute in London to fully explore the implications of Midoriya’s statement. Our sister organization here is unfortunately not nearly as well stocked as in England, due to a greater cultural focus on quirks rather than the supernatural, and I consider myself lucky to have found Midoriya. My time here has been productive, of course, but I’m reaching the limits of what I can do overseas. I’ll book a flight back to London tomorrow.

[The archivist yawns; there are various shuffling noises, then a pause, followed by a muffled thud.]

He just gave that entirely in Japanese, didn’t he.

[long pause]

He did. I don’t speak Japanese. No one I know speaks Japanese. [drawn out sigh, followed by a small groan] Note to self: translate statement for the team. End recording.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Content warnings for:  
> Mentions of bullying, gaslighting  
> Isolation  
> Altered reality


End file.
